1. Field
The following description relates to processing an image, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method configured to acquire light field data using a variable modulator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image data acquired through a lens and sensor positioned in a direction in which light travels may be referred to as “light field data,” and image data acquired through a lens and sensor positioned in a different direction from the direction in which light travels may be referred to as “dark field data.”
When light field data is acquired using an image capturing apparatus having a lens and sensor, generally, image capturing is performed using a single focal point. That is, a photograph is typically taken by either focusing on a nearby object, thereby making a distant object or background blurry, or by focusing on a distant object, thereby making a nearby object blurry.
Meanwhile, multi-view light field data, for example, 4-dimensional (4D) light field data may be acquired by providing a light modulator as a mask with a predetermined modulation pattern between a lens and a sensor. The acquired 4D light field data may be used to create a plurality of images with different focus points. That is, by processing the 4D light field data, a plurality of images with various focuses can be created. Accordingly, an image photographed unintentionally with a blurred focus may be restored. However, in a conventional image capturing apparatus with modulation characteristics or position of a light modulator fixed therein, 4D light field data may not be acquired adaptively to cope with changes in the properties of objects or in focal distance.